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November

The OEQC in Maastricht was great fun, there was a lot to see and teaching there was a great experience. Part of the joy of going to these shows is the chance to network and chat to people before or after the doors are shut. There was a really contemporary feel to the show although traditional work was also present.

Normally I do not like showing the worked others on my pages but there are a few artists whose work really inspired me. There was a competition entitled 20 and a quilt I really liked was that made by Grace Meijer, The Pianist depicting the decade of the 20s and the start of the Jazz scene in New York.

I didn’t take many photographs but certain artists made a real impact on me, Mirjam Pet-Jacobs for the way she quilts and Eszter Bornemisza for her work in general. Mary palmer had some really interesting work, a mix of traditional and contemporary and for the main very large pieces, there was an interesting statement in small quilts about abortion, a smaller one entitled, if I remember correctly Mind-Mapping

and then a big piece of portraits

The latter was all in tones of blue and white.

Having a chance to look closely at Susan Chapman’s work also inspired me with the way that she uses hand stitch to create contrast, two examples below, the figures below both have a slightly coloured thread outside the figure which gives a more visual impact.

Four days after my return from Holland I turned around and headed out west for a few days holiday before Vendée Quilt. The weather was good, there was very little traffic and my drive was accompanied by the most spectacular sunset, the clouds turned blood red…. a good omen. After a night en route I hit the coastal area and visited a lovely village which allegedly is one of France’s best, out of season I dispute that, but it was pretty even if the tide was out so there was a fair amount of mud in the estuary! The autumn colours were great.

I chose to take small roads to reach my target la Rochelle and had a lovely drive through small villages and across marshes. The sunset a La Rochelle made me realise how I miss large expanses of sky and of course the port of Minimes helped with the ambience, as did a good ‘moules frites’!

I spent a day exploring the Ile de Ré, walks along the shore at various places and generally just exploring.

There was so much to look at in the way of textures and forms.

La Rochelle has so much to see and I took loads of photos to inspire my work in the future, I am particularly drawn to wrought iron, watch this space! The buildings are old and those which are timbered have the timber protected presumably from the salty air, the market is wonderful and full of good local produce.

Then there is the stonework, there are streets with vaulted walkways, gargoyles and a wonderful looking statue resting in pieces while the area is being revamped.

The town was tidy and clean and the rubbish bins had metal screens around then which were attractive, what a nice change…

Was was staying out of the centre near opposite the little boats and the pontoons that led to them, the reflections were just stunning and my mind was working over time…

I then headed up to Roche sur Yon for Quilt Vendée, a great show which was sadly under attended but again a great time was had by all and of course I made a quick visit to Les Sables d’Olonne to see some of the Vendée Globe boats and absorb some of the atmosphere….

As you can see there was not a lot of sewing done but I have more than enough ideas to keep me going… I did complete my November Journal Quilt though.

The richness and sheen of the brown silk does not show up on the photo but I love the contrast of the smooth of the silk and the rough of the dyed wadding.